Former UM football, Buccaneers player part of mortgage scheme

A former University of Miami football and NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was sentenced to three years in prison last week for taking part in a mortgage fraud scheme.

Jeffrey Charles Leroy Taylor, of Fort Lauderdale, participated in the $7 million loan modification scheme that defrauded about 2,000 homeowners from 2008 to 2009, according to published reports. The 40 year old was additionally ordered to pay more than $350,000 in restitution.

Taylor pleaded guilty to the charges in late 2014, the South Florida Business Journal reported. He was reportedly the team manager of four telemarketers who made thousands of phone calls to homeowners offering to reduce mortgage loans or to stop foreclosures for a fee through a company called FHA AllDay.com.

The fraud was reportedly organized by Jason Vitulano, operator of FHA All Day.com, and also involved the Housing Assistance Law Center and Safety Financial Corporation. [South Florida Business Journal] — Kristina Puga